What The Next Star Wars Movie After Episode IX Might Be

In addition to releasing the main entries in the Star Wars franchise, Lucasfilm has been working on making supplementary anthology movies starring familiar side characters. So far, only one, Rogue One: A Star Wars Story, has officially released. The next one, Solo: A Star Wars Story is due to release in 2018, but Lucasfilm has yet to officially announce their next anthology film. Rumors abound that spin-offs for Yoda, Boba Fett, and Obi-Wan Kenobi are in-development, but the Obi-Wan project might be first on the list, according to a new rumor claiming it will go into production in time to be the next film after Star Wars: Episode IX.

Lucasfilm is planning to release one Star Wars movie a year. Star Wars: The Last Jedi, obviously, comes out next week, while Solo: A Star Wars Story and Star Wars: Episode IX is slated for 2018 and 2019 respectively. After that, it's a mystery, as Lucasfilm as yet to officially reveal what projects they are developing. Only Rian Johnson's new trilogy is known, but that likely won't arrive until at least a year or two after Episode IX. That leaves an anthology film as the best answer and according to an unnamed source, that film may be the long-rumored Obi-Wan Kenobi movie for release in 2020.

Omega Underground reports that a "production source" has told them that an Obi-Wan Kenobi movie will go into production on January 2019 which could point toward a 2020 release. This is not an official confirmation from Lucasfilm and Disney, who have never officially said that an Obi-Wan movie is in development, though such things have been rumored. However, the productions dates do line up, and a Star Wars movie is expected to be arriving in 2020. Still, apply grains of salt.

An Obi-Wan movie has long been rumored (and assumed) to be in the works. Ewan McGregor, who played the younger version of the character in the prequel trilogy, has expressed an interest in returning to the role in the past. Over the summer, it was reported that that Oscar-nominated director Stephen Daldry was in talks to direct the stand-alone feature, but there's been no official word on the project. Lucasfilm has been tight-lipped about their future plans for stand-alone Star Wars movies, but many assume that Obi-Wan would be the next most logical choice after Han Solo.

With Star Wars: The Last Jedi just over the horizon, we could be getting an announcement from Lucasfilm about a new movie soon. They did announce Rian Johnson's trilogy almost out of the blue after all. Stay with CinemaBlend and we'll be sure to keep you updated on any developments as soon as they arrive. In the meantime, get pumped for The Last Jedi by pre-ordering your tickets before the movie arrives in theaters on December 15.